Preparing for a burn disaster in Brazil: Geospatial modelling to inform a coordinated response

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Disaster Medicine

Background:

• Burn disasters pose significant public health challenges globally.
• Effective disaster preparedness requires understanding the geographic distribution and capacity of burn care facilities.
• Optimizing early patient care involves pre-hospital protocols and specialized treatment unit transfers.

Approach:

• A comprehensive review of burn hospitalizations in Brazil was conducted using Ministry of Health data.
• Hospital capacity was defined by annual patient admissions and bed type.
• Spatial population data and road networks facilitated drive-time analysis for location-allocation modeling.

Key Points:

• 1,273 facilities admitted burn patients, with 263 offering ICU care.
• Seventeen hospitals were classified as maximum capacity; 23 identified for capacity building.
• 40.8% of the population is within a 2-hour drive of a maximum capacity facility, but many live beyond 6 hours.

Conclusions:

• Mapping and classifying burn care facilities in Brazil is essential for disaster preparedness.
• Targeting specific facilities for capacity building can improve access to care, especially in underserved regions.
• Location-allocation modeling can guide equitable resource distribution for burn care services.